Cusco Touring-A Shocks/Struts - OEM Replacements
 

Just starting a new thread for the new Cusco replacement shocks/struts - Touring-A model.

I've read CSG is testing them currently. Though, if anyone else gets them in the future, or if any shop gets the chance to test them, please share your impressions/reviews about them.

Comparisons against similar products are more than welcome as well (eg: Koni, Bilstein, etc.)

http://www.cuscousainc.com/products/...touring-a.html
http://blog.cuscousainc.com/?p=642

http://www.cuscousainc.com/media/wys...clean_copy.jpg

I would love to find out if these adjust compression & rebound together, or just rebound like the Koni's.

Same here. I'm also very curious how these compare to Konis.

Here's Cusco's reply.

While these should work well with the stock springs, I am very interested how they will work with springs like the Swift Sport, or Swift Spec R. Cusco states on their website that these shocks will work with aftermarket lowering springs that are designed to work with the stock suspension. Also, I would like to see how this setup would compare to the new Tein Flex Z or Tein Flex A.

I would bet they are just rebranded Koni's with a clicker added....LETS SEE SOME DYNOS!

I highly doubt they're rebranded Koni's. I have recently contected both Koni and Cusco and the are drastically different. The Cusco's are the same as stock on click 20 (as posted above) and will go as firm as 140% above stock, where as the Koni's are as as firm as stock on 0 setting and at full 2 turns are 100% stiffer than stock. Both are only rebound adjustment.

Koni stated most customers with aftermarket springs run their shocks 1/2 to 1 turn.

Valving changes. You know you can have koni yellow's revalved, right? I ran OTS koni's for almost 2 years on stock springs. From day 1 they were way softer than stock on full soft...

So with the Econ2 its around $1600? Yikes. Wish the Econ2 was cheaper...

But for $1000 its around $100 more than the Bilsteins and you get adjustability.

But no warranty... Our 3 shock options sure are give & take... There's no clear winner in all categories.

The upper limits of the shock are pretty good. It makes the car very predictable and easier to drive...as if this car isn't easy enough to drive already...

But are they $150 better than the Bilsteins. I'm pretty sure I might go with the Bilsteins, unless someone out there can convince me otherwise.

That is unconfirmed. There has not been a back to back to back comparison of these setups. Bilstein is a fixed spec. Koni has some adjustment. Cusco has a ton of adjustments. If you understand the suspension market well, Cusco works closely with a very well known suspension company (deals mainly with OEM markets) to co-develop their kit. I can't tell you if it is better than one another or not, but I can tell you they do pretty well especially as a replacement shock. :)

Just to clarify, are they or are they not designed to work with lowering springs?

None of the Bilstein, Koni, or Cusco OE replacement shocks were designed specifically for lowering springs. B8 is the closest to that option. What the lowering springs do is a few things: uses OEM diameter to fit on OEM type perches, lower the car, and increase spring rate.

With that said, the better response for these units is, they are capable of handling more spring rate so lowering springs work with these units. ;)

would these work well with rce yellows?

RCE recommends Bilsteins for the Yellows.

It'll work.

Keep in mind, these shocks were designed with factory spring rates and the possibility for higher spring rates in mind. To work well, the shock would need to be designed along with the spring at the same time. :)

If you plan to drive the car on the crappy streets of LA, like Mid-Wilshire & K-town, then go bilstein. The ride may be stiffer than Koni on full soft, but at least they wont blow a seal. bilstein durability is insane.

If you are looking to get the best value, try to buy a set of used koni's and have them revalved to meet the specs of whatever springs you get. The nice thing about both bilstein and koni is that they have local rebuild/revalve services right in SoCal.

I'm tempted to try out the Cusco's for SCCA CS autocross. Or would it be better to stick with the tried and true Koni's.

If they have dyno plots or rebound numbers, I would consider it.
I would really want to see how much rebound they provide and if there is any crosstalk (side effect changes in compression when rebound is adjusted). Another big thing would be how accurate the valving is between units. While the koni's build quality is pretty sub-standard (ugly welds, crap paint), their valving is typically pretty consistent at full stiff/full soft.

The OTS Koni's could be better with more rebound, imo. A revalve would solve that. Not sure about how easy it would be to revalve the Cusco's, though. At least with the Koni you can easily change things up down the road through a local builder that actually understands the sport.

What would really rock would be an adjustable monotube close or just above bilstein price that could be rebuilt/revalved locally. For CS, there is huge product gap between OTS koni's and MCS ($700ish jump to $3700ish). Bilstein makes such products for other cars, but not ours...:sigh:

But if the Cusco's have more rebound than the Koni's, there would be no need for a rebuild.

There's no point in speculating. It has been clearly pointed out that they were designed around the stock springs, so I doubt they are as stiff as the Koni struts.

The email I received from them adds to that consensus.

Anyone take the plunge on these shocks yet? I didn't even know these existed till today, but I've really been racking my brain trying to decide on dampers for my CS car w/TRD springs.

They work pretty well for what they are. Either way, lowering springs are never optimal so it's kind of a moot point to discuss. Bilstein, Koni, and Cusco are designed to work around a stock spring or slightly stiffer. It's not going to be such a mind blowing experience because the scope of the design was to be versatile enough to work with a variety of spring rates.

For CS the best choice IMO is custom valved Bilstein B6. No adjustability, but get the custom valving done right and you won't need it.

- Andrew

Thanks for the quick replies. Custom bilsteins were the direction I've been heading, but I was just hoping to find a solution that was competitive and could be adjusted so it wouldn't beat the crap out of me on the local cobblestones and potholes around town. I'm not opposed to MCS, but from the limited information I can find, they aren't valved to order either.

Bilsteins are not valved to order either, but they do have a responsive facility if necessary. You may as well contact Guy Ankeny to do the valving for you. His work is renown and reputable in the autocross community. You may have to specify what you want if you intend to track.

Does anyone have any recent updated experience on these Cusco dampers?

Sorry for reviving an old thread but has anyone besides the CSG guys have any experience or reviews on these shocks? There's still so little discussion about these on any car around the internet.

Looking to keep the car on its stock springs. Tried Bilsteins and Koni Yellows before - want to try something new.

How much of an improvement are the Sachs suspension upgrades in the 2018 performance package over the standard shocks? Would you notice a difference if swapped in to replace the standard?

Definitely would notice a difference. I'm buying my friend's once he goes to coilovers. Love how the PP suspension rides compared to the 13 FRS suspension

It's not a huge difference, the rear feels more planted on bumpy roads. In terms of handling or whatnot i didn't feel too much change.